Sensory Processing: More than just 5 senses.Did you know that there are actually more than just 5 senses? Our sensory system consist of 7 categories, including proprioception, tactile, vestibular, visual, auditory, gustatory, and olfactory senses. This discussion will look at the way our bodies take in sensory information from the environment, organize it, and then use it within our everyday life.Sensory Processing: Visual, Auditory, Gustatory, & Olfactory SystemsThese next 4 senses are perhaps the most commonly known ones; however, it's important to know how the information obtained from these senses integrates into our everyday lives. This discussion will focus on how these 4 senses give our bodies sensory information and how to identify when there are disruptions in the processing of this information.Sponsored by Clonlara School and Leaps & Bounds Therapy Services
Clonlara School, 1289 Jewett Ave, Ann Arbor. Free. 7349264617. martha@clonlara.orgwww.clonlara.org/campus/event [map]

Our intimate parent toddler play groups meet once/week for six weeks this fall/winter. This is a unique opportunity for children (12 to 36 months) and their special adult to spend quality time together playing, (including free play stations, a slide, rotating media table, gross motor movement activities, such as bubbles, parachute play, and musical instruments), working on simple art projects (including painting, stickers, stamps) and having a snack and drink. Our teachers have backgrounds in early childhood development and experience teaching in preschools, and plan their age- appropriate lessons and themes to meet the needs and interests of the children.
Lamaze Family Center Ann Arbor, 2855 Boardwalk. $99/ 6 weeks. 734-973-1014. info@lamazefamilycenter.orgwww.lamazefamilycenter.org [map]

The Ann Arbor Senior Center offers French classes, the next 8-week series starts Wednesday November 20th for the Advanced and Intermediate Classes, and Thursday November 21st for a newly added beginners class. Cost is $50 for Senior Center members and $60 for non-members. Classes run for 8 weeks. Please register in advance to 734 794-6250. Advanced French ClassWednesdays from 9:45am to 11:15am (next series starts November 20th, runs for 8 weeks)Text used: "L'edtudiant etranger" by Philippe LabroIntermediate French ClassWednesdays from 12:15pm to 1:45pm (next series starts November 20th, runs for 8 weeks)Books used: "Great French Short Stories of the Twentiesh Century" translated by Jennifer Wagner; "The Ultimate French Review and Practice", 2nd edition by David Stillman & Ronni GordonBeginning French Class - **New Class Starts Thursday November 21st 9:30am to 11:00am (runs for 8 weeks)Text used: "French Made Simple" by Pamela Rose Haze
Ann Arbor Senior Center, 1320 Baldwin Ave. $50. 734 694-6250. jhm420@juno.com [map]

Great meals deserve a great presentation. Our Sumptuous Table exhibit, which runs from October 18 to December 8, 2013, is a display of stylish handmade ceramic dinnerware by Yourist Studio Gallery Resident Artists and will include place settings and serving pieces designed to complement your good cooking and grace your table. So come feast your eyes on our dinnerware exhibit, with pieces perfect for our own home, for wedding presents, and as holiday gifts for family and friends. Artists' Reception will take place on Friday, October 25, from 5 to 8 p.m.
Yourist Studio Gallery, 1133 Broadway. Free. 734-662-4914. kay@youristpottery.comyouristpottery.com [map]

Makers gather here at the AHA! Shop. We take our world and play with it like legos. Mixing and matching recipes of life like a top chef with a picky client. A dash of electronics, a pinch of art, a scoop of biology and a MONSTER amount of awesome.Have a project? Bring it down! We can provide:- Basic Hand Tools (Screwdrivers, hammers, files, wrenches, scissors, knives)- Safety Equipment (Goggles, Gloves, Masks)- Power Tools* (Drill, Reciprocating Saw, Dremel, Drill Press, Lathe)- XYZ Tools** (3D Printer, Laser Cutter, CNC Mill)- Awesome (Sewing Machines, Needles, Thread, Glue Guns)- And a whole lot more.Don't have a project? Come down and WATCH AMAZING THINGS HAPPEN. You'll learn something, and maybe help someone else out!* You must demonstrate knowledge / safety precautions before using** Require you to take a class. Though there's a good chance you can find someone down there on a build night that can do the job for you. Offer to buy them a beer (AFTER), or c
All Hands Active, 525 E. Liberty. Free. Donation. (734) 707-8242. AllHandsActive@gmail.comAllHandsActive.com [map]

For kids in grades 6-12. Oct. 15: "Teen Read Week: Altered Books." A chance to make purses and other objects out of recycled books. An artist is on hand to offer guidance. Nov. 13: "T-Shirt Accessories." A chance to make accessories out of old T-shirts. Bring a T-shirt or use one provided. Dec. 5: "Gingerbread Crafts." A chance to make paper gingerbread people and 3-D ornaments. Gingerbread treats.
3 p.m., SDL, 555 N. Maple, Saline. Free. Preregistration requested. 429-5450. [map]

Poetry reading by this award-winning poet and translator who served as Connecticut's poet laureate from 2001-2006. Three of her books were finalists for the National Book Award: The Homeplace (1990), The Fields of Praise: New and Selected Poems (1997), and Carver: A Life in Poems (2001), which lyrically renders the life of the revered African American botanist and inventor George Washington Carver. Fellow poet Suzanne Gardinier wrote that Nelson's poetry "reaches back through generations hemmed in on all sides by slavery and its antecedents; all along the way she finds sweetness, and humor, and more complicated truth than its disguises have revealed."
5:10 p.m., UMMA auditorium, 525 S. State. Free. 764-6330, mslevad@umich.edu. [map]

Designer John Marshall discusses his work as principal at rootoftwo, an art and design studio that creates experimental objects that attempt to disrupt and expose existing systems through humor, play, and interaction.
5:10 p.m., Michigan Theater. Free. 647-2337. [map]

Hoop Dance is a cardio based workout that uses many different muscles of the body. It challenges both the mind and body while you learn moves that require skill, balance, and technique. "Hooping" is fun and challenging and will leave you wanting more.Please wear comfortable clothing and of course bring your hoop. There will be a limited number of hoops available for those who don't have one.
A2 Aviary, 4720 S. State Rd. $12. (734) 726-0353. contact@a2aviary.comhttp://a2aviary.com/offerings/hula-hoop/ [map]

All invited to learn how to make scarves, mittens, an slippers from discarded jeans and sweaters. Admission is free if you bring outgrown kids winter outerwear to donate for use by kids who arrive at LSNC programs not quite prepared for the weather.
6:30-8:30 p.m., Leslie Science Center, 1831 Traver. $5. 997-1553. [map]

All adults and tees in grade 6 & up invited to make a decorated gift-giving box that's nice enough for the recipient to save as a keepsake.
7-8:30 p.m., AADL Traverwood Branch, 3333 Traverwood at Huron Pkwy. Free. 327-8301. [map]

Dec. 5-7 & 14. Local actors premiere Don Hart and Jay Sappington's new family-friendly musical about a reclusive grandfather who avoids a family shopping expedition to stay at home with his granddaughter and decorate the Christmas tree. As he tells her the Christmas story, a play within the play unfolds, with members of the modern family becoming wise men and shepherds in ancient Bethlehem. The Dec. 14 show at the Michigan Theater is preceded by Christmas carols on the organ, treats in the lobby, and (possibly) a reindeer outside the theater.
7 p.m. (Dec. 5-7 & 14) & 2 p.m. (Dec. 7), Ann Street Music Room (except Dec. 14, Michigan Theater), 812 Ann St., Ypsilanti. Dec. 5-7 tickets, $15 (kids, $8) in advance at onesleepynight.com; Dec. 14 tickets, $20 in advance at ticketmaster.com. 973-6010. [map]

Nov. 22-24 and Dec. 5-8. EMU drama professor Christine Tanner directs EMU drama students in Barbara Robinson's comedy about a family of hooligans who take over the Sunday school Christmas pageant. Joseph and the Wise Men get in a fight, Mary runs away with the baby, and as the miscreants lie, steal, and smoke cigars, the pageant descends into a state of raucous hilarity that harbors a heart-warming denouement. A family-oriented production for theatergoers age 6 & up.
7 p.m. (Thurs.-Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sun), EMU Quirk Theater, Ford St. (off Lowell at Jarvis), Ypsilanti. Tickets $15 (students, $12; kids 12 & under, $7) in advance and at the door. 487-1221.

Local teens present local high school student Yael Silver's play about teens who have been affected by relationship violence. Note: not appropriate for children. Q&A follows.
7 p.m., Neutral Zone, 310 E. Washington. $5. 214-9995. [map]

Screening of Stephen Frears' 2013 drama about a world-weary journalist who investigates the story of a woman's search for her son who was taken from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a convent. Judi Dench.
Times TBA at michtheater.org, Michigan Theater. $10 (children under 12, students with ID, seniors age 55 & older, & U.S. veterans, $8; MTF members, $7.50; films before 6 p.m., $7). 668-TIME. [map]

Join us for this 6-week introductory course designed for modern-day mystics. Classes include teachings on the inner spiritual path, meditation, soul, light, prayer and blessing. Classes offered on an ongoing rolling basis, join us when you can.
Ann Arbor Center of Light, 200 Huronview Blvd. (N. Main just before Hwy, on left). Free. 734-330-5048. revselena@centersoflight.orghttp://www.centersoflight.org/annarbor.html [map]

Dec. 5 & 19. All invited to learn about the club's downhill and cross-country ski and snowboarding outings and other social activities. Refreshments. Must be 21 or older. The Dec. 19 meeting is followed by a holiday dance with a DJ. Bring an unwrapped toy to donate.
7:30-10 p.m., Cobblestone Farm barn, 2781 Packard. $5 (members, free). 786-2237. [map]

Semester-long showcase of contemporary Portuguese language films shown with subtitles. The screenings are preceded by an introduction by a U-M faculty or grad student expert in the country of the film.

Sept. 12: Girimunho (Swirl) (Clarissa Campolina & Helvécio Marins, 2011). Brazilian film about an 81-year-old village woman who tries to create a new life after the death of her husband. Michigan Theater.

Sept. 26: O soma ao redor (Neighboring Sounds) (Kleber Mendonça Fihlo, 2012). When a private security firm is enlisted to protect the residents of an affluent Brazilian seaside community from petty crime, it unleashes the anxieties, resentments, and fears of a society built on violence and repression. UMMA Stern Auditorium.

Oct. 24: Transeunte (Passerby) (Eryk Rocha, 2010). Entranciinng cinematic poem about a retired, brooding sixty-something man who has lost all ties to life and aimlessly walks the streets of downtown Rio de Janeiro unnoticed. Michigan Theater.

Nov. 7: Virgin Margarida (Licinio Azevedo, 2012). Drama, set during the Mozabican Civil War, about a group of urban women taken to a re-education camp, where they are indoctrinated in a self-righteousness creed that scorns individuality and subjectivity and makes male domination an ideological prerogative. Michigan Theater.

Nov. 14: Children's Republic (Flora Gomes, 2011). Bitingly satiric comic allegory about a prosperous and stable small West African country that, following many years of conflict, is populated and governed only by children. Michigan Theater.

Dec. 5: The Great Kilapy (Zeze Gamboa, 2012). Witty, compelling portrait of the last decade of Portuguese rule in Angola centered on the story of a crooked but irresistible bon vivant who, on the eve of Angolan independence in 1975, pulls off a massive swindle at the expense of the Portuguese colonial administration. Michigan Theater.

The Lyra (also known as the aerial hoop, aerial ring or cerceau) is a circular steel apparatus, resembling a hula hoop. It is suspended from the ceiling and can be used static, spinning, or swinging. This class is designed for beginning aerialists to gain confidence and strength in the fundamentals of Lyra. You will learn to get on and off the apparatus unassisted, as well as seated and under the bar poses.Strength makes it seamless! This is also an excellent conditioning class for established aerialists looking to hone their transitions and perfect their technique, without focusing on choreography.Be ready to build strength, flexibility, and coordination - not to mention bruises in unusual places…!$25 per studentSix student maximumDrop in students are welcome, but registering online will guarantee you a spot in the class!
A2 Aviary, 4720 S. State Rd. $25. (734) 726-0353. contact@a2aviary.comhttp://a2aviary.com/offerings/lyra/ [map]

This a cappella ensemble of law students performs pop songs such as The Darkness's "I Believe in a Thing Called Love," Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble," Guns N' Roses's "Sweet Child o' Mine," and Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah."
8 p.m., U-M Law Quad Lawyer's Club Lounge. Free. umlsheadnotesboard@umich.edu.

Country-rooted folk-rock by this critically acclaimed singer-songwriter. Henry, who grew up in Michigan, is often compared to Van Morrison for his passionate emotional directness and to Dylan for his restless musical inventiveness and poetic lyrical touch, and even 2 decades into his career his music continues to evolve in unexpected and revelatory ways. "He has moved into a space that only he and Tom Waits inhabit in that they are songwriters who have created deep archetypal characters [and] new sonic universes to explore and express themselves in," says All Music Guide writer Thom Jurek. His show tonight blends material from throughout his 27-year career as well as new songs from a forthcoming album.
8 p.m., The Ark, 316 S. Main. Tickets $20 in advance the Michigan Union Ticket Office (mutotix.com) and the ark.org, and at the door. To charge by phone, call 763-TKTS. [map]

Live broadcast of a "riffing" performance by former Mystery Science Theater 3000 stars Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett, who aim their comic heckling at a screening of Nicholas Webster's 1964 sci-fi film that a fixture on lists of the worst movies of all time. Martians kidnap Santa because there is nobody on Mars to give presents to their children--one of whom is played by the eminently forgettable Pia Zadora in her film debut.
8 p.m. Quality 16, 3686 Jackson. Tickets $14.50 in advance at gqti.com and at the door. 623-7469. [map]

Dec. 5-8. Mitch Gillet and Laura Swierzbin direct this accomplished local town-and-gown company in Gilbert and Sullivan's only tragicomedy. Tudor-era war hero Colonel Fairfax is accused of sorcery by a greedy relative who stands to inherit a fortune if the colonel dies a bachelor. But on execution day, Fairfax asks a friend to find him a wife--any wife--so that he can foil the plot. The friend finds the humble Elsie, a traveling minstrel who is promised 100 crowns for agreeing to a temporary marriage. But at the last minute, Fairfax is smuggled out of town, and Elsie finds herself married to a man she's never met. Despite its comic plot twists, Yeomen is the only G&S operetta with an unhappy ending, which nudges its tone closer to the realm of opera. Most think that Yeomen was librettist Gilbert's attempt to soothe composer Sullivan, who had tired of their collaboration and yearned to write grand opera.
8 p.m. (Dec. 5-7) & 2 p.m. (Dec. 7 & 8), Lydia Mendelssohn Theater, Michigan League. Tickets $18 & $20 (seniors, $18; students, $10) in advance at brownpapertickets.com/event/459457. umgass.org. [map]